IL27 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms confer susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis in Iranian population

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease where it seems that different polymorphisms in cytokine genes are involved in the pathological process of this diseases. Interleukin 27 (IL-27) is a cytokine, which different studies have shown that it is similar to the double-edged sword, it means that it can play an anti- or pro-inflammatory role in chronic inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study is to identify the role of polymorphism in the IL27 gene and its possible association with susceptibility to RA. Methods: Seven hundred patients with RA and 700 healthy individuals were genotyped for IL27 gene rs181206 polymorphism using PCR-RFLP method. Result: Frequencies of the CT and CC + CT genotypes and the C allele were statistically higher in RA patients compared with the healthy control group (P = 0.012, P = 0.007 and P = 0.011 respectively). In RA patients, clinical manifestations, such as ESR (P = 0.697), CRP (P = 0.664), RF (P = 0.852) and Anti-CCP (P = 0.968) did not show any significant difference between different rs181206 genotypes. Conclusion: Present findings indicated that IL27 rs181206 polymorphism was involved in susceptibility to RA in the Iranian population.